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American flags that
predate the Civil War are very rare. Of these,
there are some which were official for longer periods of
time, such as the 26 star flag for Michigan or the 31
star flag for California, and there seem to be a few
more survivors in these star counts than in others, but
overall any flags of 33 stars or fewer are very scarce
and hard to come by. Flags in certain star counts,
such as this flag of 22 stars, are virtually
non-existent. It may take a collector years or
even decades to come upon an opportunity to find and
acquire an example of the type. The canvas sleeve
of the hoist of this 22 star flag is threaded with a
rope that is secured with a wooden toggle. Wooden
toggles such as this are often seen on flags made for
maritime use. The hoist is also inscribed
"Presented to Capt. C. H. Beckshafft by W. H. Ball".
Captain C. H. Beckshafft, served the Union during the
Civil War as a junior officer aboard the "Malvern," the
"Release" and the "Yantic". It's debatable whether
or not the flag dates to the 1820 period or the Civil
War period, given the association of the flag with
Captain Beckshafft. Of the small handful of antique 22
star flags known, a few are attributed to the Civil War
period as "Exclusionary Flags", where the stars of the
southern states were removed, leaving only the stars of
the states loyal to the Union. President Lincoln
specifically discouraged this practice, saying that he
would rather be assassinated than to see stars removed
from the American flag. It's unlikely but
possible that an exclusionary 22 star flag would have
been flown or used by military officers, given the known
sentiment of the Commander in Chief. Still, there
is nothing in the construction of the flag, in either
its materials or stitching, that precludes it from being
an original 1820's era flag. The association
between W. H. Ball and Captain Beckshafft is not known,
but it's possible that Ball presented an older flag to
Beckshafft. Further textile examination might provide a
more precise dating of the flag, but regardless, the
flag is a fine and rare hand sewn example of a star
count that is very seldom encountered on an antique
American flag.
Note: The flag was examined when it first came to light in
2002 by Whitney Smith of the Flag Research Center, who
concluded that "...Alabama
was the 22nd state, admitted to the Union on 14 December
1819. However, Maine was admitted as the 23rd state on
15 March 1820 and, in accordance with the then existing
flag law, the stars for both Alabama and Maine were
officially added to the United States flag on 4 July
1820. Therefore there never was an official 22-star
flag. There is nothing in the item at hand to suggest
that any alteration was made in the flag subsequent to
its initial construction. Therefore there is a strong
presumption that the flag was made at the time when
Alabama was a state (or about to become a state) and
before its star was added to the national flag on 4 July
1820...It is my considered opinion it is an authentic
original 22-star United States flag and therefore a
valuable item, considering its rarity and condition." |
